Marken

Until its road connection to the mainland in 1957, Marken was an island in the Zuider Zee, and pretty much a closed community, supported by a small fishing industry. Today, it mainly lives off its tourist industry, and can get pretty busy on summer weekends, though it’s of the day-tripping, coach-driven variety, and when the crowds have left, or out of season, it’s a rather special place, very peaceful and remote, despite being within just a few miles of Amsterdam’s urban sprawl.